By Olivia Drake
(June 17, 2026) — During Haddam Volunteer Fire Company‘s weekly drill night on June 15, 2026 members reviewed the stages, behavior, and interior dynamics of a structure fire by observing fire spreading inside a training aid resembling a house.
Pioneered by Connecticut Fire Academy Director of Training P.J. Norwood, and constructed with strand board by HVFC Captain Josh Meyer, the fabricated, two-story “house” contained five separated compartments—two on the “ground floor,” two on a “second story,” and an attic. The compartments had removable barriers used to control the ventilation and exhaust of the fire. This allowed firefighters to practice “reading smoke” and identifying the flow path.
The top, left room—labeled number 4—was a completely isolated room and represented a bedroom with a closed door. The room—which instructors checked frequently throughout the demonstration—remained below 180°F, whereas other rooms had temperatures exceeding 1100°F.
Members watched for about thirty minutes as the fire eventually engulfed the entire structure and collapsed. “While this demonstration shows firefighters that viable spaces may continue to exist in well involved structures, it also serves as a lesson to the community, that sleeping with a closed door is sleeping safe,” Captain Meyer said.
Learn more about the importance of closing doors before you doze at this site:
Photos by Olivia Drake, Haddam Volunteer Fire Company, Connecticut Fire Photographers Association
